Apparatus for treating green food



Feb. 26, 1929.

K. SCHMIDT APPARATUS FOR TREATING GREEN FOOD Filed May 2, 1928 Patented Feb. 26. 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

KARL scmnn'r, OI I'll HIGH, 6mm.

mans-ms roa rm'rme cam roon.

Application fled lay 2, 1988, Serial 10.

My invention refers to green food for cattle, sheep, etc and more especially to means whereby such green food can be preserved and its contents of albuminous matter pro- 6 tected against losses by decomposition,

In recent times investigators in several countries, including. the United States, have tried to devise means for preserving 11 food (including grass, etc.,) in silos with a view to preserving its high contents of albuminous matter. For experience has shown that fresh food stufls containing albumen have a very favourable influence on the health conditions of the animals and more 15 especially on the quantity and percenta e of fatty matter of the milk produced by t em. Hitherto the preservation of green food has been effected in several ways. One of the most widely known methods is the'method of fermentation at elevated temperature, ac-

cordin to which the plant cells are killed by rapid eating to 50 C. In order to attain this temperature, the material is heated either by respiration or by subjecting same to the action of electric current or by the mtroduction of hot gases. Heating by intramolecular respiration results in a d struction of the nutritive value. eating b means of electric current or hot gases entai s considerable expense for the cost of electrical energy and of heating material, tively. For all these purposes the 11 food must be stored in the silos in drie or rather in withered condition, for moist material 85 greatly endanger the storage in the silos. Moreover the food must inmost cases be chopped before being stored and must then be compressed by stamping and pressing. Both these processes further require very long periodsof storage in the silo.

Another method which difiers fundamentally from those above described, is through by fermentation in the cold, which requires very stron pressurein order to remove the air from t e green food in the silo, inasmuch as the 0 gen of the air favours the growth of the teria, which are the principal cause of the decomposition of the nutritive matter and of the formation of ebnoxious acids, such as buty'ric and acetic acid. It has also been an to add to the green food cultures of lactic bacteria in order to facilitate and expedite the fermentation in the cold. However, such an addition is as objectionable inasmuch as the farmer would .by higher temperatures and undesirable ferindividual case depends upon the degree of 874,544, and in Germany iareh 88, 1888.

be required to increase the parent cultures by c rcumstantial processes in order to have at 1118 disposition suflicient uantities of inoculation lymph. The mec anical prwes hitherto used do not allow obtaining res- I sures above 500 kgs. per square meter, w liich is not suflicient to remove the air quickly enou h. In consequence thereof premure must applied during several weeks, wherementation, resulting in the decomposition of the nutritive matter, will occur in the silo.

All these difliculties and deficiencies, more especially the losses in substance and nutri tive matter, can be avoided accor to the present invention, if the green food, either in chopped or non-chopped condition, is laced in a silo or other suitable container a pted to be air-tightly closed, a movable cover, for instance a metal cover or a cover made of suitably treated wood, being placed on top of the green food invthe container, and means being provided for ensuring an air-tight fit between the circumferential edge of the cover and the wall of the silo. The air and other gases are then evacuated from the container and from the material stored by suction.

, While this is being efiected the atm heric pressure will act on the cover and compress the material stored in the silo, while at the same time the moisture in excess contained in the material is removed together with the air and other I The degree of evacuation'to be used ineach air-tight packing tween the cover and the wall of the silo. I have found that favorable results can beobtained'ifthe circumferential portion of the coveris edb meansof a ring made of cla or 0am whiehis forced onto the mar portion of the cover and against the wall of the silo. With the aid of a powerful air suction pump a low vacuum ggwn to 23 f polumn can attain veryqui yevenl argequantities of food (above 5000 kgs.) are treated. vacuum as specified above sufiees to strongly compres the material, a presure ofabout4000kgsper uaremeterbeil'ifilobtained, and the materi thus treated be subjected to fermentation in the cold without any further treatment. If air suction pumps of hi her eficiency are used, ahigher vacuum will obtainable.

and forming part thereof means embodying my inverion are illustrated diagrammatically in vertical section by way of example.

In the drawings, a is a cylindrical container (silo) which may be made of metal, concrete, brickwork, wood, or some other suitable material rendered impervious to air and other gases by impregnation, lining or the like. I) is the cover made of metal, wood, armoured concrete or some other suitable material, this cover being shaped to fit in the silo, so as to be axially movable therein. 0 is a packing ring made of felt or some other suitable packing material, and (Z is a metal ring of angular cross-section fixed to the cover by means of screw bolts (1 and serving to hold the felt ring a down on the cover and to press same against the wall of the silo a. f is a tubular connection provided with a cock 9 and fitted in a central hole of the cover I). h is a pressureproof flexible tubing or hose mounted with one end on the connecting piece. 7, its outer end being connected to a rotary suction pump z', the construction of which need not be described, as any powerful suction pump may be used for this purpose.

is is an annular layer of loam, clay or some other plastic material arranged on top of the rings a, d and forced by pressure against, the top of the marginal portion of cover I) and against the inner wall of the container a so as to closely apply itself against these surfaces. This annulus k will efficiently seal any gap left between the cover b and container a and will descend with the cover I) or may be arranged thereon only after this cover has attained its lowermost position,

In the operation of this'arrangement the cover I) is first removed from the container and the material to be treated is filled in,

whereupon the cover is placed in the container on top of the material and is forced down by pressure so far that the felt ring 0 applies itself against the inner wall of the container. The suction ump is now set operating and by suckingt e aid and moisture from the interior of t e container and from the material stored therein will create a vacuum in the container below the cover, whereby ,this latter will be forced down into the container under the action of the atmospheric pressure, compressing the material in the container. 7 As a result of a very great number of tests I have found that if a container or silo having a diameter of 4 meters and being 5,5 meters high, was filled with green food up to the top and the cover was placed in posi-' tion and'the suction pump started, the material was compressed after the lapse of one hour substantially to the extent of being ready for cold fermentation, the" distance between the cover and the top edge of the silo after one hours pumping being about 2,5

meters. I

In the manner aforesaid grass, clover, lucern, maize and turnip tops have been treated with the greatest. success.

I have further .found that I can improve the fermentation process conducted in accordance with this invention by introducing into the evacuated container agents having a bactericidal effect. I have found it particularly useful to introduce bactericidal gases or vapors such as carbon disulfide. I may for instance introduce across the tubular connection 7 and cock'g a pointed pipe perforated near the point, forcing such pipe into the material to be treated, this pipe being connected with a receptacle filled with carbon disulfide. The vacuum in the container a will cause carbon disulfide vapors to be formed and to enter the container, distributing in the green food contained therein. I have found that small quantities of carbon disulfide amounting to about 15 kgs. per 50,000 kgs. green food sufiice fully to attain the desired result. By experiments carried out withv guinea-pigs and cows it has been shown that the carbon disulfide treatment is entirely innoxious, working no harm whatever to the animals fed with such food.

Sheep weighing about 45 kgs. live weight, on being fed duringfour weeks with green food treated in accordance with this invention, showed. an increase in weight up to 5 kgs. (11 per cent), each animal being fed daily with 4 kgs. lucern and 1 kg. straw.

The chemical analysis of lucern treated in accordance with this invention gave the following results:

tEntree-t Crude Pure V6 ma ter free protein albumen from nitrogen Raw product. 20. 6 11. 8% 47. 8g, Treated product 2). 6 a 8. 4% 30. 1 a

The acid analysis showed the following results:

- Oom- Fm Ammo- Lactic Butyrlc mac blned ma 1mm acid acid acid c33 0 8m hours per 100 kgs. Time and labor are further saved for the chopping, most of the self-heating is experienced. In the hot ferment-ation process, if a temperature of 50 C. shall not be overstepped, the fermentation process must be keptunder careful control inasmuch as the heating tendency of the different kinds of green food and even of the same kinds will differ greatly according to ripeness and moisture. In the practical operation of the hot fermentation process the temperature frequently rises above 50 0.,

whereby valuable nutritive matter is decomposed and the digestibility of the food is greatly reduced. Owing to the very high compression which may attain almost 10,000 kgs. per square meter, as compared with only 500 kgs. when employing mechanical presses, the air is removed very quickly and the food is compressed very strongly, thereby producing a reduction of temperature which does not allow any undesirable fermentation to arise and prevents the resouring when the compressed material is withdrawn from the silo. The airtightly closing cover prevents air from entering the silo, so that the material can be consumed u to the topmost layers. In the fermentation process the analysis of the gas contained in the compressed material shows already after a short treatment great quantities (80-90 per cent) of carbonic acid, however the percentage is subject'to material fluctuations durin the first two weeks and the same is true 0 the perthis increase of energy is known to be accompanied by the decomposition of nutritive matter, more especiall the-easily digestible albumen and carbohy rates, and it is therefore important that this decomposition be shortened as much as possible. This is ef-' fected by treating the material in accordance with the present invention, which also provides for automatic removal of rain and dew moisture and of the plant j uices'in excess, so

that the farmer is independent of the weather.

Various changes may be made in the details disclosed in the foregoing specification without departing from the invention or sacrificing the advantages thereof.

The term silo used in the appended claims is intended to include every kind of large-sized open container, tank, smoothwalled excavation or the like adapted to take up a larger quantity of green food or the like and to be airtightly closed by a sliding cover forming a piston therein.

I claim 1. Green food preserving apparatus comprising a silo, a cover axially reciprocable in said silo, means for sealing the gap between said cover and the inner wall surface of said silo and suction means extendin through said cover for partly evacuating said silo.

2. Green food preservin apparatus comprising a silo, a cover axial y reciprocable in said silo, means for sealing the gap between said cover and the inner wall surface of said silo, suction means for partly evacuating said silo and a flexible connection between said suction means and a hole in said cover.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

KARL SCHMIDT. 

